Review: Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Clinique Moisture Surge gel is an intensive moisturizer meant for skin that is really in need of moisture, and let me tell you, it does the job! First off, it is a gel, which I really like as I have fairly oily skin and creams make me feel greasy. The texture of this is perfect-it's liquid-y, but not thin. When you put it on, it feels heavenly, very light weight.

I don't know how well you can see the texture in the above image, but it is very nice. I highly recommend this to someone who doesn't like greasy creams. I bought this because last week I completely stripped my skin. I had run out of my Bliss Foaming Face wash and borrowed a bit of a friends Clearasil gel cleanser. It left my skin with peeling dry patches everywhere-my cheeks, right under my brows, around my chin, sides of my nose, even my forehead!!! My skin was red, like I had windburn and PEELING!!! I was wholly unprepared for this as my skin is oily so I don't usually deal with dryness. But after three nights of Clinique Moisture Surge, my skin was back to normal.

Here it is right after I applied it:


Here it is after it's absorbed:

I don't know if you can tell, but it leaves my skin with a sheen. My skin immediately felt silky and smooth, and the gel absorbed within a couple of minutes, so no grease face, haha! I've really been liking Clinique's gels. I've never come across such great moisturizers for oily skin. Other brands advertise for oily complexions, but nothing I've tried has beaten Clinique's light weight, non greasy formula. Now if they could just add some SPF... And interestingly enough, I've been able to apply this over my foundation during the day if I notice a dry patch without displacing my makeup! And I've heard of people using this as a mask (applying it to damp skin for five minutes and then wiping off) but I fail to see how this can be more beneficial than actually letting the gel absorb. Anyway, I've had a really good experience with this moisturizer and highly recommend it to anyone with oily skin!

Has anyone else tried this moisturizer? Feel free to let me know what you think in comments!

Info:

Price: $34-$46.50 (depending on size)

Ingredients: Water, cyclopentasiloxane, butylene glycol, glycerin, birch bark extract, lady's thistle extract, green tea leaf extract, saccharomyces lysate extract, sucrose, aloe barbadensis leaf water, trehalose, hydroxyethyl urea, sorbitol, oleth-10, tromethamine, caffeine, hydrogenated lecithin, hydrolyzed extensin, sodium hyaluronate, tocopheryl acetate, palmitoyl olgiopeptide, caprylyl glycol, dimethicone, glyceryl polymethacrylate, peg-8, ammonium acryloyldimethyltaurate/vp copolumer, magnesuim ascorbyl phosphate, carbomer, hexylene glycol, disodium edta, phenoxyethanol, red 4 (CI 14700), yellow 5 (CI 19140)

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

I'm Back! And mega sales at Sephora!!!

First off, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! sorry for the long absence. I just can't seem to stay on top of EVERYTHING that's going on, and I've finally been able to get a few days to relax, so I'm going to make the most of them, haha!

And some good news: Sephora's is giving an extra 20% their already discounted products!!!



Also, there's a really nice weekly special this week!!! A Lip Fusion lip plumper for $10!!! Originally they are $38!!!



The only downside is that they are only offering it on the shade sun, which is a peachy tone. I think it'll fit many skin tones, however, so go for it!!!

Here's the swatch from Sephora:


Lemme know what you think if it if you take advantage of the sale!

All images are from Sephora.com.

Review: Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatement

Ok, so while I was in NYC I stopped by a few (ahem, 5) Sephora stores. I know, excessive, but I couldn't help myself. Plus, the Sephora in my area doesn't stock many of the brands that I was fortunate enough to be able to test in Ny. One of those brands was the Kate Somerville skincare brand. For those of you who don't know, Kate Somerville began a skin care clinic in LA and is fairly well known for giving many celebs their great skin. In addition to this, she has her own line of skincare which has been said to be good. The product that I got is the EradiKate acne treatment.

Here's a pic:

The sales assistant at Sephora was kind enough to give me a little booklet which outlines all of the products in the line as well as the skin pyramids which I will share with you later. Now, EradiKate is an acne spot treatment. While I have tried many from high end and drugstore brands, I've never tried a sulfur treatment, only salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide treatments, so I was curious to see how it would compare.



The product is a light pink sediment in a clear solution packaged in a very nice, expensive looking glass bottle. Here's a closer pic:



To apply this, you are supposed to use a cotton swab, dip it into the pink sediment, and then dab on any zits. It dries within a few minutes and is sorta crumbly/powdery/chalky in consistency.





I think it works quite well, but I wouldn't say that this is a product that you really need, simply because there are plenty drugstore products that will give you the same result, but for a lot less $. Off the top of my head, Neutrogena's Rapid Clear Acne Eliminating Spot Gel retails for around $8 and will give you the same result. Plus, the Neutrogena gel is clear and absorbs quickly. With the EradiKate, it sits on your skin for hours and actually starts to crumble off of your skin after a while, which is kind of gross, especially since it doesn't work any faster.

Another downside to this product is the amount of product that you end up using with each application-or should I say, not using. I don't know if you can see it well, but the entire head of the cotton swab is covered in sediment, but in reality, I only used maybe a fifth of that amount. If the bottle was clear, it would be a lot easier to moderate the amount that you use. however, as it is not, I see myself going through this product fairly quickly, as every time you dip the cotton swab into the sediment, a HOLE is left in it!!! And it comes in a glass jar, which, while it makes it feel high-end, isn't very practical because dropping it even once on the right floor can shatter it. Overall, for a product that doesn't have any significant advantages over drugstore brands, I would say that the price isn't worth it.

Info:

Price:$22 (for 1oz)

Ingredients: Sulphur, Isopropyl Alcohol, Zinc Oxide, Camphor, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Salicylic Acid, Iron Oxides.

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Guerlain Fall 2009 'Russian Beauty' Collection

Being Russian, this collection definitely draws my attention! I'm forever collecting things that either have the word "Russian" in the name (eg, Mac lipstick in Russian Red, eye liner in Black Russian, OPI Russian Collection polishes-have them all, etc...), haha, and that's not changing anytime soon! The collection is filled with very rich, warm shades of violet, bronze, ideal for many skin tones. The true star of the collection is definitely the quad! The packaging is almost prettier than the actual product!

Eyes and Lips Palette ($69.00)
>Volga Princess

Ombre Eclat 4 Shades Eye Shadow ($56.00)
>406 "Tsarina"
>441 “Brun Mordoré”

Radiant Blush ($42.00)
>Russian Doll

Rouge G de Guerlain ($42.00)
>Graziella
>Giovanna

Retractable Eye Pencil ($24.00)
>Gold
>Silver
>Bohemian

Le 2 de Guerlain ($35.00)
>Nuit 3 Boheme

Parure Compact Foundation ($45.00)
>14 “Rose Intense”

Here's what the "Tsarina" quad looks like:

Giorgio Armani Fall 2009 'Manta Ray' Collection

Another collection that's been drawing a lot of attention. I'm not totally sold on this one, though. The colors look pretty, but nothing that I don't already have. I'm really liking the nail color though. But I don't think that it's part of the collection. Bummer... The shadow duo's might be worth checking out, though, especially number three.

Manta Ray Eye Duo Palettes ($38.00)
>N° 1- charcoal and Greige
>N° 2- deep ocean blue and intense ocean green
>N° 3- pale lilac grey and luminous fuchsia
>N° 4- light blue stone and sandy beige
>N° 5- shimmering lilac pearl and pale green pearl

Liquid Silk Eye Liner ($30.00)
>N° 1
>N° 2

Armani Silk Lipstick ($25.00)
>N° 92

The people over at GA were kind enough to include a few instructions on how to create the "Greige" eye look!

The "Greige Eye Look (By Linda Cantello)

“Eye shadow is about shading. Rather than adding shadows, these muted tones contour and define, accentuating the eye and the pupil; the focus is actually on the eye itself. My favorite is the Greige and charcoal duo shade palette, but the pale lilac grey and fuchsia offer a really beautiful pop of color.”

Use the Greige shade to contour the eye by sweeping the shadow along the crease of the eye. Follow by sweeping the shade under the lower lash line and over the upper lash line. Use charcoal to add intensity. A second option is to sweep the charcoal shadow over the whole lid and use the Greige to blend. For added intensity, apply midnight blue eyeliner along the upper lid lash line.

NARS Cosmetics Lolita Collection for Fall 2009

This is definitely my favorite up and coming collection. The colors are perfect for fall, smokey, yet subtly warm.

Eyeshadow Duos ($32.00)
>Brumes
>Indian Summer
>Silk Road
>Brousse (New)
>Eurydice (New)
>Taiga (New)

Single Eyeshadow ($22.00)
>Meckong

Lipstick ($24.00)
>Fast Ride

Nail Polish ($16.00)
>Tokaido Express

Boots No. 7 Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator

Boots No. 7 is a brand that continues to surprise me. I'd walked past their displays at Target for years, never realizing how amazing some of their products really are. What got me interested in this product was the Mary Kay Microdermabrasion Set, a set of an exfoliant and renewal serum Unfortunately, the extremely small containers and a price tag of $55 turned me off! Now, Boot's skincare isn't that cheep either, or at least some of it isn't, but if you're lucky enough to have some coupons or get their products during a clearance, then you're set!

The product I bought is the Boots No. 7 Total Renewal Micro-Dermabrasion Exfoliator, and for $14.99 you get 2.5 oz. That may seem like a lot of money to pay for a drugstore brand, but compared to the MK set, you get more product for less. The MK exfoliator (you can buy the set or get the items separately) is $30 for only 2 oz. And, knowing just how much of a bargain hunter I am, I of course found the Boots version at a much cheaper price. Only $4.99! I have to say, though, that if I could only buy this at full price, I probably wouldn't.

Now, onto the actual product itself. The exfolatior is a cream cleanser with aluminum oxide micro-crystals that act as the abrasive. The crystals are actually a lot larger than I expected them to be. I've used the MK version, and the crystals in it were much finer and gentler. These were a bit larger and therefore rougher on my skin, though not as bad as the abrasive found in the St. Ives scrubs. However, based on the large size of the crystals, I would categorize this more as a scrub than a microdermabraser, but a good scrub at that.

First off, here it is on my dry skin:


Here it is spread:




Just to give you an idea on the size of the crystals, here's a closeup:


You can really see the texture and how large the crystals are. In the MK one, you can't even see individual crystals. It's uniform through out the cleanser it's added to.

Here it is after I ran some water over it and rubbed it a bit:


You can see that the cream cleanser the abrasive is added to is fairly thick, withstanding the water added. If found this to be both good and bad when I used it. It was good because it made my skin feel very moisturized. However, as I have oily skin, about half an hour after I washed my face (for the purpose of the review I didn't moisturizer right after) my skin felt very oily, giving me a very uncomfortable feeling, as though I was going to bed with a dirty face. As much as I don't like this aspect of the product, I do have to say that I am liking it in general because it left my skin feeling sooooooo soft! While it is a bit rougher than I'd like it to be, it leaves my skin feeling as soft as the MK version did. Now, just like the MK one, there is a complementing renewal serum/moisturizer, but I was disinclined to purchase it because it was $21, not something I was going to spend on a drugstore brand product. Overall, as an exfoliant it is excellent and I highly recommend it!

First image from Target.com.

Info:

Price: $14.99 (Retail)

Ingredients: Aqua (Water), Alumina, Glycerin, Paraffinum Liquidum (Mineral oil), Capric/Caprylic Triglycerides, Dimethicone, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetyl Alcohol, Petrolatum, PEG 100 Stearate, Phenoxyethanol, Sodium Polyacrylate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben, Xanthan Gum, Tetrasodium EDTA

Disclosure: The product featured in this post was bought by me for the purpose of my personal use. If you have any further questions about disclosure, don't hesitate to ask in the comments.

Smashbox Summer: Untamed

Here's Smashbox's summer collection. The description on Sephora states, "The lush, smoldering shades of the tropical African landscape is the inspiration for Smashbox's safari-inspired summer collection. Unleash your new, untamed look." Sounds good to me! Smashbox is a brand that I've just started looking at. For some reason, something about this brand just didn't appeal to me in the past. Whatever it is, I'm over it now, haha! Their eyeshadow's, lipglosses, and primers are awesome! Here's the breakdown of products:

Untamed Waterproof Shadow Liner Trio ($29)
>Savage
>Exotic
Untamed Lip Gloss ($18)
>Flesh
>Raw
Untamed Double-Ended Eye Brightner ($22)
Untamed Highlights Cheek Luminizer ($24)
>Aglow
Untamed Creamy Cheek Color ($24)
>Untamed